Artificial stone and process of making



Nov. 3', 1.925.. 1 ,560,450

R. M. WESELY ARTIFICIAL STONE PROCESS OF MAKING Filed am 15.. 1925 IN V EN TOR. in u/V. flzsa W Mg ' v ,V4TTORNEYS.

Patent ed Nov. 3, 1925. I. it

UNITED STATES PATENT .mrn u. WESELY, or Los mamas, camronnm, assrenoa or one-nan? 'ro GEORGE slum HACGBUEB AND ONE-HALF r0 ROBERT non'ron SIIPSON, no'rn OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFOBNJLA.

numeral. s'ronn am) rnocnss or 1mm Application fled June 15,1925. Serial Io. $7,861.

., 1'o all wlwmit may cmwe'm:

Be it known that I, RALrmM. WESELY, a citizen of Czechoslovakia, and aresident of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles 5 and State of California, have invented a new and useful Artificial Stone and Process of. Making, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to artificial lava or other stone and a new and novel process'of manufacturing same.

My invention is more particularly direct I ed to artificial stone having those characterizing features which cause the finished product to veryclosely and in fact minutely compare with natural travertin, particu-' ,larly Roman travertin, often called travertin marble, the natural being the calcareous deposit from springs in many localities of Italy and sometimes quarried in some parts'of the United States of America. This natural marble or stone is characterized bye-striated or veined surface, the veining being of slightl diflerent color from the bod of the mar le. This striated or veined su ace is arranged relatively but in no true or consistent order of the arrangement of serrated voids which appear in the natural travertin mostly on the surface thereof. These voids appear undercut, and it would seem to the eye that they extend clear f through the stone, presenting the appearance of aged .worm eaten material. The natural, as well as the artificial travertin, is

86 used for decorative interior and exterior purposes in building construction and it is customary that same be in the form of relatively thin slabs. The material is not faces characterized by color striatioii and voids have been produced, but in each has been "absent certain characteristics of the natural marble, namely, many voids of Y I almost minute or consistent size a pearing' promiscuously upon the surface of t ematorial. These minute or pin holes, so to speak,

appear school like or stippled, and are nerally apart'from the sepzrated voids a orementioned, the latter ing of irregular sizes as against the consistency in size of these so-called pin holes.

. Aside fromother nlcetles of arrangement and order of the parts forming m inven-' tion, it is particularly anyobject .o my -invention to produce these pin holes and arrange same promiscuously upon the surface of the finished product in near natural like order with the arger voids and the dilfer ently colored veins or striations. By producing the minute or pin holesor voids in the material, I not only am able to, produce I an almost exact duplicate of the natural stone and thereby enhance the value of the material architecturally in view of its attractive and ornamental appearance, but I augment the acoustory properties of 'said material.

Aside from the improvements above point- 1 ed out which give to the finished product the elegance and beauty of-the natural stone and one which follows the rhythmical order of the veining and all voids, I have carried into actual practice, a method or rocess of producing imitation travertin w ich is simple, inexpensive and capable of being carried on to produce material in great quantities with maximum rapidity and with consistency.

In the article which results from the practice of my invention, I have produced one -which is strong and durable and of light weight.

. With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same con-' sists in the improved construction. and novel arrangementsof parts which will hereinafter be fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

. In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a single and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitations are necessarily made to the precise structural details there1n exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a mold showing the manner of carrying the first step of the process into practice;

Figure 2 is aplan view of a slab of material produced by my process; and

Figure 3 is a section on line IIIIII of.

Figure 2. j

I shall first proceed to describe the article or imitation stone produced by following the steps and employing the materials and compositions of matter which constitute the novel features of my invention, and for this purpose, reference may be best had to Figure 2 of the drawings forming part of this specification.

The slab A is formed of plastery or cementitious material cast from a mold of suitable well known form or otherwise produced. following the choice or skill of the artisan. This slab is characterized by a surface having veins or striations B of suitable color tone and of a slightly different color from the body of the slab. Between the veins or striations B and extending to the outer surface of the slab are voidsC which appear undercut and serrated, giving to the eye the effect that certain of them extend clear through the slab. These voids C are of irregular shapes and sizes throughout the outer surface of the slab. and same appear rather promiscuously, and are sometimes isolated with respect to each other, while, at

other times or places upon the slab, groups of these voids come into almost and frequently are in conjoined relation. I want to clearly distinguish the voids C from other voids or surface inconsistencies and for this reason, shall'subsequently refer to them as large voids, and they may be bounded as such by the dot and dash lines shown in Figure 2. These undercut large voids are of edark color at their closed ends to produce the desired shadow effect.

The veins or striations are irregularly shaped and sometimes in casting or working the materials, small or varying sized splotches of this vein material of one color will befound imbedded in vein material of adifierent color asindicated at D.

To this point, except for some few but important changes, thisdescription or outline of the characterizing features of my artificial stone agrees with some of the features which characterize prior known imitations of travertin, the difference in my new method of producing the material notwithstanding. By this, I mean to say that the character of the ornamental surface of the .groups in varying but greatly multiplied number in comparison with the number of voids C. Sometimes, these small voids will be found side by side with the large voids. and in other places upon the finished slab,

these small. voids will appear in entirely separated groups. The large voids are distinguished for the purpose of clearness from the small voids by the dotted lines F in Figure 2, and it will be observed that said 'small voids are shallow and that in the cross section through the slab as illustrated in Figure 3, they run through portions of the thickness of the slab and are stratified relatively, parts of the slab being sponge-like. In other words, they are in substantially conjoined relation through parts of the slabs thickness and they are similarly in conjoined relation on the outer surface of the slab.

I have now made general reference to the characterizing features of my finished article which cause it to truly correspond with the natural travertin. By changing the porosity of the material through its thickness as provided for by the small holes or voids E, added acoustic properties are grafted into the material as contributory to the sound deadening properties of the large voids, and, at the same time, I have injected into the material those features which result in a true simulation of the natural travertin to the eye of the most able critic.

Body mix and wining.

As a plastery body, I may employ any suitable well known materials, such as (1) plaster of Paris or (2) Keenes cement or (3) Portland cement. In either event, the material is mixed with water until the desired consistency is had. I then take suitable parts of this plastery material and add coloring matter 'theretofluntil the desired tone, generally soft gray, is obtained. Portions of the body mix and portions of the colored subdivided parts thereof are now poured or otherwise suitable deposited upon a previously prepared mold surface, as shown at A, (Figure 1) so as to formthe veins or narrow latyers BL By previously prepared mold, I 0 course refer to the customary greased surface onto which the-material to be castisdepesited when this is v accomplished. a camb; brush or the like can be run over'the veins to make same appear 1rregular with the vems of one color tone sometimes running into veins of another color tone. g

I then takeasuitable batch or quantity of the body mix and incorporate it wit bicarbonate of soda, tartaric acid, marble dust and coloring matter. a suitable quantity of alcohol. These parts Large under are thoroughly mixed together at a proper consistency and worked to finally roduce particles or dry, effervescent, part y soluble lumps of small bits of varying sizes.

These particles are now sprinkled upon the exposed surfaces of the mold between the veins so as to produce man large voids upon the exposed surfaces 0 the material while these lumps are in a dry void forming state. When subjected to the action of a stream of water after the mass has set, the lumps are broken down and can be readily washed out, except for some parti-- cles, which remain upon the walls of the formedvoids. These particles act todarken the color of the walls so as to produce an aged eifect. It shall be understood that the undercut voids are formed; by-the lumpy particles while the latter are in a drystate and not by any chemical action that would tend to ream or bore these voids.

Small voids.

, I now take a batch of the previously prepared body mix and add an eflervescible agent thereto and to give body and to assistthe action of the agent, I preferably add a' suitable part of marble'dust or rice flour. This eilervescible agent may be in the form of (1) sulphuric, or (2) muriatic place through efi'ervescence of the chemicals occupied by the lumpy particles.

employed to form small pin holes in that part of the mix in which this chemical in- P This batch is then corporation exists. splashed, poured, spread or otherwise placed over the veins and around pluses I esired, the lum y material may be arranged on'the mold rst and the 'velning material placed over and around same.

I Backing.

The remainder of the body mix or a mass of plastery matter of suitable color tone is then spread over the portions treated as now set forth and the material permitted to set and harden.

With further reference to the stepof pro- To this, I add ducing the large undercut voids, the chemicals employed may be in the following proportions Alcohol suitable amount.

For the small voids-I may-use the following proportion of 'chemicals:--

, Sulphuric acid-,1 part to 50 parts water;

or muriatic acid,-11 part to 25 parts water;

or alum water, '1 part to 3 parts water,

and suitable quantity of rice flour or marble ust. I

After the cast material has set and dried, same ma be subjected to the action of a stream 0 water so that the latter will come in physical contact with the dry lumpy particles which go to'make the large voids,- and same is caused to be evacuated from the slab, leaving charred like undercut serrated voids.

It should efierves'cible agency emplo ed herein shall be clearly understood that the never function to 'such vio ent extent as to by means of the chemicals recitedherein.

It is" found that in carrying out my 'process, gelatin molds can be employed on which the plaster materials are ured and that incident to t e fact that no eat is created when the chemicals emplo' ed herein function, the mold is maintain in a cool state, and that when the cast slab is removed from the mold, it is in no way distorted, as would be the case were the plastery materials subjected to the action of heat, as in the case where calcium carbide, for example, would be used. Nor do I experience,

any trouble that in any way injures the mold. The ma'teri'als used in formin the aforesaid large voids cause these voi s to appear as though the had been treated with. burnt umber or li e matter, giving to the voids the much-sought-ior effect not roduced herebefo're iii-processes of making imitation lava stone, imitation travertin or the like. 2;

It will do no objection to again emphasize the fact that the loose lumpy particles from which the so-called large undercut voids are formed are active for producing these voids form or shape of the void is in'agreement with the form or she of the lumpy particle from which the vo1d is cast.

I claim: I

1. Ai'tificial stone consisting of a plastery material at least one surface of which is shaped and striated and formed with sets of undercut voids and additional sets of while they are in a dry state and that the small voids, the striae constituting the ex q posed portions of shallow inlays of colored plastery material.

2. Artificial stone consisting of a plastery material at least one surface of which is shaped and striated and formed with sets of undercut voids and additional sets of small voids, the striae constituting the exposed portions of shallow inlays of colored plastery material, and the small voids being formed in plastery materials of different porosity through the thickness of the stone than that of the'body of the stone at the undercut voids.

3. Artificial stone consisting of independent plastery materials of respectively different degrees of porosity, correlated with striations of respectively different color tone,

i ficial stone characterized by plastery materials of respectively different color tones arranged to produce striations on one face of the stone, the striac constituting the exficial stone formed of plastery materials of posed portions of shallow inlays, and provided with irregularly spaced undercut depressions, and other materials providing u on the said one face of the stone groups 0 small depressions.

6. Artificial stone comprising plastery material at least one surface of which is shaped and striated and formed with small irregularly spaced depressions whose Walls are charred to give shadow and age effect to the depressions, the striae constituting the exposed portions of plastery material.

7. As a new article of shallow inlays of colored manufacture, artirespectively different color tone presenting inlays of colored striae upon one surface of the stone, and formed with undercut depressions extending onto sald surface, and other materials of different properties conjoinedwith the first named materials, and provided with many small pin holes exposed to said surface of the stone.

' 8. Artificial stone comprising a striated mass of plastery material provided with irregularly shaped surface voids and relatively consistently formed surface stippling.

1 9. Artificial stone comprising a striated mass of plastery material provided with ir- 'regularly shaped surface voids having stone, binding said layers and all of said ma-.

terials together, and allowing the mass to set.

11. Theherein described process of manufacturing striated artificial stone which consistsin depositing upon a. mold surface a series of narrow layers of plastic material, depositing upon the exposed surfaces therebetween a material of such texture and con sistency as will leave numerous portions of said exposed surfaces out of contact with said material, depositing plastic efi'erves'ced material upon the mold between some of said layers to produce numerous voids'mostly of infinitesimal size upon one surface of the stone, binding said layers and all of said materials together, and allowing the mass to set, and then causing the second material to be evacuated from the set mass to leave irregularly shaped and respectively different sizes of undercut voids 1n said one surface of the stone.

12. The herein described process of-manufacturing striated artificial stone which consists 1n deposltlng upon a mold surface a series of narrow layers of plastlc materlal,

depositing upon the exposed surfaces therebetween a chemically prepared dry material of such texture and consistency as will leave Inumerous portions of said exposed surfaces out of contact with said material while the material is dry, and which said material is adapted to be disseminated when subjected to the action of water after the stone is dry, depositing plastic efi'ervesoed material upon the mold between some of said layers to pro I duce numerous voids mostly of infinitesimal matter which, when moistened, after the stone is set causes a residue dust of said matrovided with ter to line the walls of said voids, thereby giving to said walls an agedand shadow like effect.

14. As a new article of manufacture, artimatter to line the Walls of'said voids, thereficial stone characterized by a plastic mass by giving to said walls an aged and shadow having an ornamental surface provided with like effect, and a material incorporated in undercut 'voids in 'which the voids are said mass to give to the ornamental surface 5 formed b lumpy particles of efi'ervesced. a stippled eflec-t.

matter W iich, when moistened after the stone is set causes a residue dust of said RALPH M. WESELY. 

